You want to send a valuable object to a friend securely. You have a box which can be fitted with multiple locks, and you have several locks and their corresponding keys. However, your friend does not have any keys to your locks, and if you send a key in an unlocked box, the key could be copied en route.

How can you send the object securely?

Put the valuable object into the box, secure it with one of your locks, and send the box to your friend. Your friend should then attach one of his own locks and return it. When you receive it again, remove your lock and send it back. Now your friend can unlock his own lock and retrieve the object.

The cyber communication method that inspired the problem is not necessarily the best guide where actual boxes and locks are concerned - As others point out, it results, for example, in multiple trips of the valuable object.

If A and B are to exchange many valuable objects, one solution would be for the box to open at both ends, with each person having a lock for one end.

If only one exchange is contemplated, A could send an empty box, open, with his own lock - e.g a safe type lock or a padlock, which B simply activates after filling the box.

Posted by broll on 2016-04-10 00:06:04